“If anything disturbs your peace, practice having faith that divine grace is already actively at work restoring wholeness and well-being.

Then make any necessary adjustments in harmony with that insight.”
Yogacharya Ellen Grace O'Brian, Spiritual Director, Center for Spiritual Enlightenment

Acharya Vandana's Weekly Inspirations

September 24, 2023

Live From Higher Mind

Paula Whang-Ramos

“Then Arjuna spoke these words to Krishna: Imperishable One, put my chariot between the two armies,
so that I may see those whom I must fight.” Bhagavad Gita 1.21-22

The Bhagavad Gita is the timeless, universal story of our inner journey into the realization of our essential wholeness and the unconditional love that the Source of wholeness has for us all. To realize this divine power, presence, and wisdom, we first experience the inner battle of the lower mind trying to usurp the power of the higher mind from fully surrendering into this divine Reality.

In the verse above, Arjuna, the leader of the army that represents our higher mind qualities, wants to directly experience the entire battlefield. The leader of the opposing army, which represents our lower mind qualities, also wants to experience the battlefield. However, the leader of the lower mind is completely blind and unable to discern for himself what is really happening. Instead, he chooses to rely on the observations and experiences of others to interpret the battlefield for him. And, isn’t that just like us?

When we live from higher mind, we have the courage to directly face and experience our lives. Even if we are a little scared, we do not allow our emotions to determine the integrity and intelligence of our choices. Conversely, when we live from lower mind, we may be too blinded by our own emotions and perceptions to actually see and experience life unfolding right in front of us. Instead of surrendering into inner soul wisdom for the courage and clarity we seek, in lower mind, we look to external sources to define our lives.

But there is good news! The Gita also shares the hopeful message that divine Wholeness remains ever present within and around us, even when we are blinded by lower mind choices. And, the Gita offers timeless practical teachings to help us mature from lower mind into higher mind living so we can fully surrender into the unshakable peace, love, and wisdom that we all deserve now. To experience these transformative teachings, join us at BLC for our weekly study and practice of the Gita teachings. All are welcome!

Join us at Blue Lotus Center onsite (Wednesday evenings only) and online (Tuesdays and Wednesdays). Experience a time of meditation, study, contemplation, and divine remembrance with others devoted to realizing and thriving in our innate peace, love, and wisdom. Contribute to the realization of peace in our minds, our hearts, our families, our community, and our world. Blue Lotus Meditation & Yoga Center welcomes sincere seekers from all backgrounds. Beginning and experienced participants from all traditions are welcome at all gatherings.

September 17, 2023

Invite The Light

Paula Whang-Ramos

“Look for those times when a moment of prayer, or mindfulness, could bring more spiritual awareness to your day –
times such as entering and leaving your home, beginning work, answering the phone, or eating a meal. It only takes a moment to invite the light.”
—Yogacharya Ellen Grace O'Brian, Daily Inspiration 04-06-23

Throughout the day, I like to stop and offer prayers of gratitude for all the known and unknown ways in which I am held in divine Wholeness. These intentional moments of spiritual reconnection open my heart into a deeper inner clarity and peace and inspire the busy mind to breathe into the grace that carries us all, right now.

For example, when I brush my teeth, I am grateful to have teeth to brush, along with clean water and implements to maintain my oral health. When I am driving, I am grateful for the safety of the drivers sharing the road, and for the amazing machine that safely transports me where I want to go. Even though our internet connection can be inconsistent, I am grateful to have this mysterious service that allows me to interact with people and resources otherwise unavailable to me. And when I sit to meditate, I am grateful for so many things – our beloved Spiritual Teachers who generously share their wisdom and lives as exemplars that freedom is possible in this lifetime, the Kriya Yoga teachings that provide an inner road map of remembrance to find our way into Truth, and the privilege of living in a community where I, as a woman of color, can freely practice and experience my divine life without fear of harm for doing so.

Spiritualizing our consciousness in prayerful moments allows us to directly experience grace at work in our mundane activities. We can experience extraordinary blessings when we let this divine light of awareness shine into our daily lives. Throughout our busy day, we can consciously choose to breathe into the joy, gratitude, and love that this divine remembrance reveals. It only takes a prayerful moment to allow our inner divine light to shine brightly as a blessing for ourselves and all life. Will you join me now and pray into the light of this amazing moment in our lives?

Join us at Blue Lotus Center onsite (Wednesday evenings only) and online (Tuesdays and Wednesdays). Experience a time of meditation, study, contemplation, and divine remembrance with others devoted to realizing and thriving in our innate peace, love, and wisdom. Contribute to the realization of peace in our minds, our hearts, our families, our community, and our world. Blue Lotus Meditation & Yoga Center welcomes sincere seekers from all backgrounds. Beginning and experienced participants from all traditions are welcome at all gatherings.

September 10, 2023

The Everlasting Self

Paula Whang-Ramos

“Everything gives according to its nature; nothing can provide more than what it is.
What is temporary brings temporary happiness or security, which is its full extent. Only That which is eternal can give lasting happiness.”
—Yogacharya Ellen Grace O'Brian, CSE Daily Inspiration, 03/01/14

As we mature through our earth lives, we may notice how everything changes - our bodies, our relationships, our jobs, our finances, and our homes. Even our own personal desires, opinions, preferences, values, and priorities change. As we mature spiritually, we realize the futility of seeking permanent peace and happiness in our ever-changing earth lives, as we yearn to live from a more authentic, eternal source of peace, happiness, and fulfillment – in this lifetime.

Kriya Yoga teaches us that the core of our being is the eternal, unchanging, true Self. As an individual expression of the unchanging Source of all that is, the Self, our soul nature, never changes, even amidst our many earth life changes and life losses. The Self is an everlasting, constant, steady Presence ready to guide and support us into a life of permanent peace, unchanging wholeness, and timeless wisdom, if we listen. How can we become more established in the Self amid our busy, changing lives?

Superconscious meditation, self-discipline, self-study, and self-surrender, are the four core practices of Kriya Yoga. Superconscious meditation allows us to directly experience the unshakable inner peace of the Self. Self-discipline opens us to an inner freedom when we live as disciples to our soul’s joy. Self-study involves study of the true Self and of wisdom scripture, both of which serve as divine reflections of our essential wholeness, beneath experiences that may lead us to believe otherwise. Surrender is the intentional choice to release the wrong thinking that we are our stories of limitation, so we can surrender into the divine power, presence, and wisdom of the true Self. With steadfast practice, we can thrive through life changes in the poise, courage, and contentment of the Self. But don’t take my word for it. Join us at CSE and BLC and experience the life enhancing benefits of Kriya Yoga for yourself.

Join us at Blue Lotus Center onsite (Wednesday evenings only) and online (Tuesdays and Wednesdays). Experience a time of meditation, study, contemplation, and divine remembrance with others devoted to realizing and thriving in our innate peace, love, and wisdom. Contribute to the realization of peace in our minds, our hearts, our families, our community, and our world. Blue Lotus Meditation & Yoga Center welcomes sincere seekers from all backgrounds. Beginning and experienced participants from all traditions are welcome at all gatherings.

September 3, 2023

The Divine Friend Within

Paula Whang-Ramos

“…the Self alone can be a friend of the self-conscious state; and the Self alone can be an enemy of the self-conscious state.
For that devotee who has mastered self-consciousness by Self-knowledge, the Self is a friend;

for the one who has not mastered self-conscious states, the Self will be in opposition.” Bhagavad Gita 6:5-6

When we live from the limitations of the mind, or the self, our life choices and perspectives are blurred by the mind’s perceptions, emotions, memories, and opinions. If higher wisdom, the Self, offers a view that is contrary to the mind’s self-image and self-serving agenda, then the mind may react to protect its control over our thoughts, words, and actions. As long as the mind remains in control of our daily choices, we will continue to live in fear and suffering, ready to defend against, blame, or avoid the next perspective, experience, or relationship that differs from the mind's perceptions and feelings. But there is good news! We do not have to live under the tyranny of the mind.

As we mature on the path of Kriya Yoga, we begin to hear the still small voice of divine wisdom, the Self, from within us. We experience a courage to grow beyond habitual small-minded fears. With steadfast daily spiritual practice, the mind learns to befriend the Self, and we experience glimpses of peace, love, and wholeness within and around us, even during challenging moments. And as the friendship deepens, these glimpses of courageous love, unshakable inner peace, and divinely guided moments expand into a fulfilling way of life.

I invite all to join us at BLC for 2 opportunities to befriend the mind and retrain it to follow the Self. On Tuesday, 09/05/23, we begin our year-long study and contemplation of the Bhagavad Gita, the inspiring, universal spiritual story of how the small self learns to surrender into the higher Self. And on Saturday, 09/09/23, I will be offering a special program “Befriend the Busy Mind”. We will draw directly from Gita teachings and wisdom from the Spiritual Teachers from our tradition, to compassionately explore how to use the mind to serve our highest good, deepest joy, and unconditional love that we are and deserve to live now.

Join us at Blue Lotus Center onsite (Wednesday evenings only) and online (Tuesdays and Wednesdays). Experience a time of meditation, study, contemplation, and divine remembrance with others devoted to realizing and thriving in our innate peace, love, and wisdom. Contribute to the realization of peace in our minds, our hearts, our families, our community, and our world. Blue Lotus Meditation & Yoga Center welcomes sincere seekers from all backgrounds. Beginning and experienced participants from all traditions are welcome at all gatherings.

Blue Lotus

Meditation & Yoga Center:

CSE south county meditation center